The UFC is prepped for a busy Saturday this weekend, with a pair of shows happening on two continents. UFC Fight Night 99, hosted by Northern Ireland, will start things off in the afternoon (12:15 p.m. ET) and conclude around the time that Fight N…
The UFC is prepped for a busy Saturday this weekend, with a pair of shows happening on two continents. UFC Fight Night 99, hosted by Northern Ireland, will start things off in the afternoon (12:15 p.m. ET) and conclude around the time that Fight Night 100 begins (6 p.m. ET) in Brazil.
The respective cards will be headlined by Gegard Mousasi and Uriah Hall, and Ryan Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Interestingly, both headliners are rematches.
While the quality of the main events and overall cards might feel underwhelming in the shadow of last weekend’s landmark UFC 205 event, the pair of Fight Nights certainly lack nothing in the quantity department. All told, the two fight cards offer fans a total of 22 bouts, including 10 main card showdowns, so clear your schedule.
As is our custom here at Bleacher Report, we’ve assembled the usual team of Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Craig Amos to prognosticate the outcomes of each main card match. Read on for our collective insight into Saturday’s unrelenting action.
The UFC returns to action a week after its epic UFC 205 event with a pair of Fight Night cards on opposite sides of the globe on Saturday.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Uriah Hall and Gegard Mousasi clash for a second time in the headliner of a decent …
The UFC returns to action a week after its epic UFC 205 event with a pair of Fight Night cards on opposite sides of the globe on Saturday.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Uriah Hall and Gegard Mousasi clash for a second time in the headliner of a decent event that lost its scheduled main event of Gunnar Nelson vs. Dong Hyun Kim just a few weeks ago. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ryan Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira meet in a rematch of their 2010 bout. The former is at least a fun matchup, but the latter is something of a head-scratcher.
The Belfast event isn’t exactly loaded down with name value, but it should still produce a number of fun fights, especially the flyweight scrap between Kyoji Horiguchi and Ali Bagautinov. The Sao Paulo card is much deeper, with a violent bantamweight fight between Thomas Almeida and Albert Morales, a prospect battle featuring Warlley Alves and Kamaru Usman and the return of Claudia Gadelha.
In lieu of fully examining every fight from both events, I’ve picked five fights, including both main events, to examine in depth while giving the other fights shorter previews.
Let’s dig into this weekend’s smorgasbord of UFC action.
The UFC returns to action a week after its epic UFC 205 event with a pair of Fight Night cards on opposite sides of the globe on Saturday.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Uriah Hall and Gegard Mousasi clash for a second time in the headliner of a decent …
The UFC returns to action a week after its epic UFC 205 event with a pair of Fight Night cards on opposite sides of the globe on Saturday.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Uriah Hall and Gegard Mousasi clash for a second time in the headliner of a decent event that lost its scheduled main event of Gunnar Nelson vs. Dong Hyun Kim just a few weeks ago. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ryan Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira meet in a rematch of their 2010 bout. The former is at least a fun matchup, but the latter is something of a head-scratcher.
The Belfast event isn’t exactly loaded down with name value, but it should still produce a number of fun fights, especially the flyweight scrap between Kyoji Horiguchi and Ali Bagautinov. The Sao Paulo card is much deeper, with a violent bantamweight fight between Thomas Almeida and Albert Morales, a prospect battle featuring Warlley Alves and Kamaru Usman and the return of Claudia Gadelha.
In lieu of fully examining every fight from both events, I’ve picked five fights, including both main events, to examine in depth while giving the other fights shorter previews.
Let’s dig into this weekend’s smorgasbord of UFC action.
The 100th UFC Fight Night takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil Saturday with a light heavyweight showcase.
No. 4-ranked contender Ryan Bader (22-5) takes on No. 9-ranked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (22-7) in a rematch from September 2010.
The two originally m…
The 100th UFC Fight Night takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil Saturday with a light heavyweight showcase.
No. 4-ranked contender Ryan Bader (22-5) takes on No. 9-ranked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (22-7) in a rematch from September 2010.
The two originally met at UFC 119, where Bader picked up a decision victory to move to 12-0 at the time. A lot has changed for both men, and the division, since that day six years ago. Nogueira has fought only six times, going 3-3, while Bader has gone 9-5 after the victory.
Bader has been closer to a title shot than Nogueira, but neither man has yet to step foot in a UFC title bout. A loss would be detrimental to that goal.
Who comes out on top Saturday? Here is your preview into UFC Fight Night 100’s main event.
Tis the season for gluttony. Even if you don’t want more, here it comes.
The UFC doesn’t care that you just gorged on the epic, memorable UFC 205 and New York and Conor McGregor and so forth. Why don’t you just have a little more? And you love it, deep…
Tis the season for gluttony. Even if you don’t want more, here it comes.
The UFC doesn’t care that you just gorged on the epic, memorable UFC 205 and New York and Conor McGregor and so forth. Why don’t you just have a little more? And you love it, deep down inside. You love consuming MMA at levels far higher than anything you could conceivably need or want, don’t you? You love it.
That’s the spirit. It’s your spirit, and it’s my spirit; it’s made manifest in the two cards the UFC is offering this Saturday. Not one card. And not over a weekend or anything like that. Same day. Twenty-six total fights combined. Are you ready for that? It doesn’t matter.
Here are the top storylines from the two cards. Open wide!
Wait, Why Is This Happening?
Part of it is because of the company’s commitment (as of now) toward UFC Fight Pass and places like Europe.
Not long after hosting Irishman McGregor and that little history-making thing that happened with him at UFC 205, company brass now head to Belfast in Northern Ireland for UFC Fight Night 99. In the main event, middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Uriah Hall run back a fight that netted Hall a spectacular spinning-kick knockout the first time.
That card begins at 4 p.m. Eastern and airs exclusively on Fight Pass, the UFC’s subscription streaming service, and behind which the UFC has invested considerable matchmaking resources of late.
We also have UFC Fight Night 100 taking place, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern and all airing on Fox Sports 1. This one takes place from Sao Paolo, Brazil.
(Don’t underestimate the UFC’s desire to program against Saturday’s Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward boxing blockbuster, either).
With new and still more or less unseen owners at the helm, who knows how much longer these aggressive event-staging, overseas-expanding and/or Fight Pass fixations will last? The answer, in all honesty, is probably nobody, not with the company sale still so fresh. To the extent that an armchair explanation is possible here, this is it.
Gegard Mousasi Seems Active
That is not your imagination. In his rematch with Hall, the Dutch fan favorite and can-he-finally-cash-in-on-his-talent middleweight will try to make it 4-0 for 2016. That’s after a 2-1 2015. This may not be amazing in itself, but given that he fought a mere three times between 2011 and 2013, it sticks out a bit.
Mousasi has looked as great as ever in handling Thales Leites and then crushing Thiago Santos and one Vitor Belfort. Now he has a chance to avenge his only loss of the past two years—that wrong-side-of-the-highlight-reel knockout from Hall back at UFC Fight Night 75.
If he can run that crowded of a table this year, he’ll be in prime position to step beyond the velvet rope in a top-heavy division.
What Else Is Happening On These Cards?
There are 14 fights at UFC Fight Night 99, and as with all UFC cards—particularly massively overstuffed cards like this one—there are good fights. Outside the main event, the one that sticks out pits Irishman Neil “2Tap” Seery against Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall. It’s more than a clash of solid nicknames. The American’s wrestling gives him an edge in this one, but Seery’s scrappy on the ground as well as the feet. Could be a fun one.
In the UFC Fight Night 100 main event, you have a rematch between Ryan Bader and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Interested? I know, I know; you can admit it.
What you do have on that card is super-prospect Thomas Almeida showing his face in the cage for the first time since Cody Garbrandt pasted him in May. You have strawweight standout Claudia Gadelha in action. You have other top up-and-comers in Warlley Alves and Kamaru Usman—unfortunately, they’re fighting each other, but still.
Also, on the deep undercard in Brazil, a tasty battle looms between grappler Pedro Munhoz and young Justin Scoggins, who is making his bantamweight debut.
UFC 205 these cards are not. But that’s OK. No one would fault you if you got up from the table. Then again, is one more bite going to kill you?
Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2) and Uriah Hall (13-7) meet at UFC Fight Night 99 this weekend in a five-round main event, but it’s not the first time the two have faced off.
In one of the most stunning upsets and finishes of 2015, Hall landed a spinning back k…
Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2) and Uriah Hall (13-7) meet at UFC Fight Night 99 this weekend in a five-round main event, but it’s not the first time the two have faced off.
In one of the most stunning upsets and finishes of 2015, Hall landed a spinning back kick that would lead to a TKO victory.
It was the biggest win in Hall’s career and jolted him up the ranks. But things have not been the same for either man since that date. Mousasi is 3-0, and Hall is 0-2 since their September 2015 meeting. Mousasi is entering title-contention territory, and Hall is in a similar position looking for a big upset to put him back in play.
Can lightning strike twice, or will Mousasi right his wrongs?
Take a look at the head-to-toe breakdown for UFC Fight Night 99’s main event.
Tis the season for gluttony. Even if you don’t want more, here it comes.